Gaza Humanitarian Aid Flotilla

Commenting on the attack on an aid ship transporting humanitarian aid goods to Gaza by Israeli commandos this morning, Rebecca Harms and Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-Presidents of the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament say:

"We strongly condemn the deadly attack of Israeli commandos on the humanitarian aid convoy in the Mediterranean. We are deeply shocked by the brutality of the assault, which has left a still unknown number of people dead and wounded. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

"This attack is a serious infringement of the principles of international humanitarian law and a reaction of disproportionate violence to a humanitarian aid initiative. We call upon the European Union and the international community to apply pressure for the lifting of the current blockade of Gaza, which makes essential humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza virtually impossible to deliver. We also call for the quick establishment of an international inquiry to shed light on the circumstances of this attack."

Note to editors:
In a letter to the European Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek, Rebecca Harms and Cohn-Bendit call for a debate of the event in the next plenary session of the Parliament.